Banana is a fruit produced in most tropical countries. According to the literature, the post-harvest loss is about 40% of the production. To reduce the losses, an alternative is to dry the product. In this context, the main objective of this article was to describe the thin-layer drying of whole bananas. To describe the convective drying process, a mathematical model is normally used. In this a…
This study handles artificial neural networks (ANN) modeling to predict tire contact area and rolling resistance due to the complex and nonlinear interactions between soil and wheel that mathematical, numerical and conventional models fail to investigate multivariate input and output relationships with nonlinear and complex characteristics. Experimental data acquisitioning was carried out using…
Growth and physiological activities of barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Gustoe) grown in soil cultures were evaluated to recognize the ameliorative role of salicylic acid (SA) and KNO3 against the negative effects of salt and water deficit stresses. Barley plants were subjected to three levels of NaCl (50, 100 and 150 mM), three levels of water stress (80%, 70% and 50% of the soil water content (…
ABSTRACT: This paper offers some preliminary notes on the position of Buddhists in Shi‘a legal and tafsir (exegesis) discourse with particular emphasis on Muhammad Husayn Tabataba’i’s treatment of the subject in his al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Qur’an. The author concludes that although Tabataba’i introduced some novel elements in Shi‘a tafsir relating to the identity of Sabians in th…
It is a truism of science that the more fundamental the subject, the more universally applicable it is. Neverthelens, it is important to strike a level of "fundamentalness" appropriate to the task in hand. For example, an in-depth study of the mechanics of motor cars would tell one nothing about the dynamics of traffic. Traffic exists on a different "level" - it is dependent upon the existence…
You are at the right place in your mathematical career to be reading this book if you liked Trigonometry and Calculus, were able to solve all the problems, but felt mildly annoyed with the text when it put in these verbose, incomprehensible things called \proofs." Those things probably bugged you because a whole lot of verbiage (not to mention a sprinkling of epsilons and deltas) was wasted on …
This special issue presents five essays and an interview in appreciation of Henry Bernstein. The essays – by major scholars in the field of agrarian political economy – engage with different aspects of Bernstein’s oeuvre: from direct critical reflections on his approach to the peasantry and the agrarian question through to arguments developed in connection to his work on commercial ca…
1 Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is one of the most devastating pests of tomato crops. We studied the acceptability and suitability of eggs laid by irradiated T. absoluta pairs to parasitism by the parasitoids Trichogramma nerudai and Trichogramma pretiosum. 2 Trichogramma absoluta pupae were irradiated with X-radiation (20834 R) and the emerged adults were separated …
Public administrators always seem to be looking for a fix to the field’s “big” problem of ineffective government. One popular solution was (and perhaps still is) New Public Management reforms based on market values. Collaborative Public Management and related suggestions emerged thereafter to return the field to its democratic roots. The problem is, though, that both these constructs are…
Most universities and college campuses across the United States are engaged in developing policies, programs, and systems to reduce risks and maintain safety and security on their campuses. This article identifies key factors such as all-hazards comprehensive emergency plans, continuity of operations plans, emergency information management, leadership support, community partnerships, and traini…
Understanding and quantification of phosphorus (P) fluxes are key requirements for predictions of future forest ecosystems changes as well as for transferring lessons learned from natural ecosystems to croplands and plantations. This review summarizes and evaluates the recent knowledge on mechanisms, magnitude, and relevance by which dissolved and colloidal inorganic and organic P forms can…
This is a contribution to a long-standing ‘conversation’ between Henry Bernstein and Terry Byres on capitalist agrarian transition, encompassing the development of capitalist agriculture and capitalist industrialization. Two themes are central: first, the divergence of view with respect to the possible relevance of past transitions for the present (posited by Byres) and the contemporary…
The phenolic composition of white grapes is important since browning reactions may dramatically compromise the overall quality of musts and wines. Only few scientific contributions are available, which investigated how fertilization can influence this class of compounds. Thus, the aim of this work was to examine the effects of NPK soil fertilization coupled with soil or foliar applications …
Among several environmental factors shaping soil microbial communities the impact of soil nutrients is of special interest. While continuous application mainly of N and P dramatically shifts community composition during fertilization, it remains unclear whether this effect is consistent in generic, unfertilized beech forest ecosystems of Germany, where differences in nutrient contents are m…
Phosphorus (P) deficiency at early seedling stages is a critical determinant for survival and final yield of pearl millet in multi-stress Sahelian environments. Longer roots and colonization with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) enhance P uptake and crop performance of millet. Assessing the genotypic variation of early mycorrhization and its effect on plant growth is necessary to better u…
Below-ground niche complementarity in legume–cereal intercrops may improve resource use efficiency and root adaptability to environmental constraints. However, the effect of water limitation on legume rooting and nodulation patterns in intercropping is poorly understood. To advance our knowledge of mechanisms involved in water-limitation response, faba bean (Vicia faba L.) and wheat (Trit…
1 To understand how habitat management influences agricultural production, the present study investigated whether the vicinity of mixed (six annual herbaceous species) or monospecific (Diplotaxis tenuifolia) floral margins can improve seed production in coriander. 2 Potted coriander plants under field conditions were used to test: (i) the contribution of insect pollination (open versus b…
1 Elatobium abietinum (Walker) is the most important defoliating pest of Sitka spruce Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr. Climate change in the U.K. is predicted to increase incidences of spring–summer drought events, with the aphid expected to respond to these changes. This will have serious implications for damage levels and growth of infested Sitka spruce, as well as control of the aphid pe…
My paper underscores the theoretical contribution of an early essay by Henry Bernstein, ‘Notes on Capital and Peasantry’, published in 1977. It uses the ideas in that essay to construct a general argument about the ways in which capitalism dominates household producers. The first section summarizes the arguments of Bernstein’s essay and relates them to key passages of A.V. Chayanov’…
Composite surface soil samples (236 samples) were collected from three fodder farms irrigated for a long period with the treated sewage effluents or well water through a center pivot system. The soil of the 1st farm was loamy sand in texture while it was sandy loam for the other two farms, all were calcareous containing more than 10% of (CaCO3). The average values of EC for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd…
Sixteen goats fitted with a rumen cannula were used in completely randomized block design to test the effects of dietary crude palm oil (PO), palm kernel cake (PKC) and decanter cake (DC) on rumen total protozoa counts, rumen fermentation, and digestibility. Goats received once daily (1.5% of BW) one of four concentrate diets: reference diet (RD), DC diet (DCD), PKC diet (PKCD) and RD plus 5% P…
The date fruit, which is produced mostly in the hot arid regions of Southern Asia and North Africa, in large quantities, is marketed all over the world as an important crop. Date grading is an important process for producers and affects the fruit quality evaluation and export market. In this research Mamdani fuzzy inference system (MFIS) was applied as a decision making technique to classify th…
Fresh fish contains up to 80% of water. It is a highly perishable material and having a short storage life. Therefore, the study of the drying kinetics of fish is necessary. In this study, the effect of microwave drying on drying rate, effective diffusivity, and energy consumption of sardine fish was examined at four different microwave powers (200, 300, 400 and 500 W). It was found that the mo…
Ohmic heating is an alternative fast heating method for food products. In this study, the effect of ohmic heating technique on electrical conductivity, heating rate, system performance and pH of pomegranate juice was investigated. Ohmic heating rate, electrical conductivity, and pH are dependent on the voltage gradient used (30–55 V/cm). As the voltage gradient increased, time,system performa…
Changes to soil nutrient availability and increases for crop yield and soil organic C (SOC) concentration on biochar-amended soil under temperate climate conditions have only been reported in a few publications. The objective of this work was to determine if biochar application rates up to 20 Mg ha–1 affect nutrient availability in soil, SOC stocks and yield of corn (Zea mays L.), soybean…
Breeding has developed better yielding maize hybrids for low N environments, which also have delayed leaf senescence (‘stay green’ trait, SG). Here, we studied whether the SG trait can further improve yield of modern hybrids under N-limiting conditions. In two field experiments, four maize hybrids with different senescence behaviour were grown under three N fertilization levels, from 0 to …
One of the most important replacement methods used instead of chemical herbicide and conventional tillage is cover and companion crops’ application which is a major factor in sustainable agriculture. In order to determine the best cover crop in controlling weeds of corn field and its further effects on corn yield, an experiment was carried out in a factorial arrangement based on RCB design wi…
Marijuana (cannabis) is the most frequently used illicit drug of abuse in the United States and worldwide. Moreover, it is second only to alcohol as the most prevalent psychoactive substance seen in cases of driving under the influence of drugs.1,2 It is also by a wide margin, the drug most often detected in workplace drug-testing programs. The primary psychoactive substance in marijuana is del…
This article reports on a literature review of workplace interventions (i.e., creating healthy work environments and improving nurses’ quality of work life [QWL]) aimed at managing occupational stress and burnout for nurses. A literature search was conducted using the keywords nursing, nurses, stress, distress, stress management,burnout, and intervention. All the intervention studies included…
Nurses are loyal to their patients and coworkers. They often put the needs of others before their own and sometimes even before the needs of their families. This concern for others can cause conflicts that manifest as stress. Of the more than 2 million nurses in the United States, more than 62% work in hospitals. Hospitals are known to be both rewarding and stressful places to work. Like most w…
Perceptions of tobacco are a relatively unexplored issue in disadvantaged populations in India and France. The objectives of this study included the following: obtain qualitative information on representations of tobacco use and cessation within two vulnerable populations; identify cultural factors that influence tobacco use and cessation; and acquire information for the development of effectiv…
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) represent an increasing proportion of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Sustained advocacy, carried out by a skilled workforce, is an important strategy to realize the political will and implement the policy changes necessary to reduce the global burden of NCDs. Competencies for effective advocacy include a combination of scientific and technical as …
This study examined the relationship between the use of vocabulary learning strategies and self-efficacy in medical English learning, and whether after an initial sixweek course to master the basics of medical terminology, those with higher use of vocabulary learning strategies and those with a higher degree of self-efficacy would have significant score improvements in the medical English profi…
Repeated anaerobic conditions during athletic performance may cause general and local fatigue that result in postural balance deficit. Evidence suggests that improved postural balance during athletic training may decrease the risk for fallings and traumatic injuries among athletes. Twenty athletes (12 girls, 8 boys) and 20 controls (12 girls, 8 boys) ages 10–15 years participated in the curre…
There is debate as to whether or not the Ebbinghaus illusion is driven by high-level cognitive size contrast mechanisms as opposed to low-level biphasic contour interactions. In this study, we examine the variability in effects that are shared between this illusion and a different illusion that cannot be explained logically by a size contrast account. This comparison revealed that nearly one q…
This study compares two versions of progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) training (7 and 16 muscle groups) on oxygen consumption (VO2), heart rates, rating of perceived exertion and choice reaction time. Football (soccer) players (N¼26;M age¼13.4 yr., SD¼0.5) were randomly assigned to either 7 muscle groups PMR, 16 muscle groups PMR, or a control group. PMR training requires the participants …
Resilience is important in sport performers to withstand the pressure they experience. This study analyzed the relationship among resilient qualities and coping strategies in 235 Spanish athletes (126 males, 109 females; M age¼20.7 yr) who practiced different sports (79.1% team sports, 20.9% individual sports). They were evaluated at the beginning of the last competitive mesocycle and after an…
Aging is accompanied by declines in cognitive and sensorimotor functions. However,at present, the interrelation between attentional processes and dexterity in aging has not been thoroughly addressed. This study explored the relationship between executive function, working memory, and dexterity performance in 15 young and 15 healthy elderly, right-handed participants. A modified version of the P…
The transtheoretical model of behavior change (TTM) is often used to understand and predict health-related behavior. The objective of this study is to apply the TTM’s stages of change to examine patterns of attendance behavior at fitness clubs. A retrospective study was performed to study the later stages of change, using attendance data of members who cancelled their membership in 2012 in tw…
The maximal lactate steady state is the gold standard for evaluating aerobic capacity;however, it is time-consuming. The lactate minimum protocol is an easier alternative,but is not feasible and still expensive. This study investigated whether the rating of perceived exertion of 13 is an accurate predictor of lactate minimum and maximal lactate steady state intensities. Eleven physically activ…
In a recent study, Lago-Penas and Gomez-Lopez (2014) demonstrated that during elite English soccer matches, the percentages of ball possession, entries into the final one-third of the pitch, and shots on goal were lower for the teams with a 1 goal up game status compared to those with 1 goal down condition. In addition, clubs with higher budgets preferred to control the match by dictating the p…
This study measured the durations of Japanese obstruent geminates/singletons and their adjacent vowels (V1 and V2) embedded in words repeatedly spoken by four intermediate-level Taiwanese learners of Japanese. The results indicated that the four learners were more or less at a native-like level in terms of geminate lengthening, but not in terms of the V1/V2 duration ratio. These findings sugges…
Motor impairments such as lack of standing and/or independent ambulation are common among persons with multiple disabilities. These two studies assessed technology-aided programs for persons with those impairments. Specifically, Study I assessed a program to teach two non-ambulatory adults to hand reach a stimulation-linked object by standing up. Study II assessed a program to teach a child an…
A commonly stated rationale for examining the use of ratings of perceived exertion with youth is its potential value as an assessment of intensity in physical education settings. The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between ratings of perceived exertion and heart rate in a natural physical education setting. Sixth through eighth grade students performed cardiovascular and muscl…
Year-to-year changes in sprinting in youth tennis players were examined in a mixedlongitudinal study (256 male players, aged 10–15 years: 993 measurements). Height (h),body mass (BM), lower limb explosive strength (LLES), and a 5-m sprint were measured over five years. During that period, players were classified as elite or sub-elite. To account for the repeated measurements within the indivi…
Yoga has been demonstrated to modulate autonomic nervous system activity, decreasing anxiety and stress, and improving quality of life. This preliminary study sought to examine the use of yogic techniques on persons who stutter given the interaction between physiological arousal/anxiety and stuttering that current multifactorial models of stuttering propose. Four participants (M¼52 yr, SD�…
This study investigated the development of subcortical pitch processing, as reflected by the scalp-recorded frequency-following response, during early infancy. Thirteen Chinese infants who were born and raised in Mandarin-speaking households were recruited to partake in this study. Through a prospective-longitudinal study design,infants were tested twice: at 1–3 days after birth and at three …
This study used a driving simulator to investigate whether the presence of pedestrians and traffic engineering designs that reported to have reduction effects on overall traffic speed at intersections can facilitate drivers adopting lower impact speed behaviors at pedestrian crossings. Twenty-eight men (M age¼39.9 yr.,SD¼11.5) with drivers’ licenses participated. Nine studied measures were …
The markers of external training load (ETL), distance and intensity, do not take into account the athletes’ psychophysiological stress, i.e., internal training load (ITL). Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between ETL and ITL using the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and session-RPE in swimmers. Seventeen young swimmers (10 male, 15.80.87 yr and 7 female, 15.1…
This is a response to commentary by Jime´nez-Pavon (2015) on the relationships of leptin levels with children’s physical activity. The present response suggests actigraphs are superior to questionnaires for measuring children’s physical activity. Cicchella,Stefanelli, Jurimae, Saar and Purge (2013) pointed out some interesting methodological issues related to the relationships of leptin a…